By Andy Wong, on 8 May, 2015

Hong Kong, Hong Kong! Part 1. Locally Traditional

Featured image: Nightline of Hong Kong Island from Star Avenue

Hong Kong, Hong Kong! Part 1. Locally Traditional

I never thought my two feet would end up in Hong Kong – it was never on my bucket list. But a personal trip had pushed me into the bustling city and I found myself standing in the middle of Tsim Sha Tsui after four hours of flight from Seoul. And what an unexpected surprise: the first night of my stay and I ultimate fell into the Hong Kong charm. As my plans of hanging out with my friend fell through and had no idea of the area, my adventurous side pushed me into exploring this vast wonderland all by myself.

Hotel Panorama by Rhombus (

Hotel Panorama by Rhombus 2
My room at Hotel Panorama by Rhombus (could not resist jumping onto the bed!); Two different types of pillows offered at once

Hotel Panorama by Rhombus

The hotel is always the first impression of the city and therefore it is always carefully selected. My first night stay was at Hotel Panorama by Rhombus, which was the perfect choice. Conveniently located a minute away from Tsim Sha Tsui station, the reception area had a local touch and the compact room provided me with a great nightline view of the Hong Kong Island and a good night sleep. A wide-selection of breakfast on the 38th floor was there to fuel me up for the city walk I had planned for myself. Impossible to avoid the comfort of the bed, I rested my head for a couple of minutes before heading out.

Hong Kong Goldfish Market

Hong Kong Goldfish Market 2
Goldfish in bags with price written on the cover; also selling plants for the fish tank

Goldfish Market

Since there were many local markets around the area, I decided to start from Mong Kok where the Goldfish market was held (fish!) and walk my way down back to Star Avenue. The Goldfish Market was an awe as I saw exotic fish bundled up in a small plastic bag, dozens of them hanging in front of the entrance as if they were common – some fish looked like they were dyed (what a sight)! Even though this street was mainly selling fish, at times puppies, kittens, rabbits, and turtles were often stared at by potential owners. Despite the unique view of hanging Goldfish bags and shops full of all the products that can possibly be provided for pets, I eventually pushed myself to the Ladies Market which became, by far, my favorite market.

Hong Kong The Ladies Market

Hong Kong Ladies Market 2

Hong Kong Ladies Market 3
Stalls in Ladies Market – selling from T-Shirts, bags, mobile covers to chinaware

The Ladies Market

The stalls of the Ladies Market started going up and the streets started filling with people by 19:00pm. A couple of blocks were covered with tall shops which had goods from top to bottom, starting from T-shirts to mobile covers to toy figures. Many people advised me to make sure to negotiate when buying but failed miserably when I tried to get a set of Majong (at least I tried). But the whole fun of the market was to get engaged with the local sellers and see all different products that they had along the way and get everything you hoped for within your budget as the prices are cheap.

Hong Kong View from Avenue of Stars

The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong
View from Avenue of Stars; The Peninsula Hotel definitely had a way of attraction attention with their bus!

Avenue of Stars and Nightline of Hong Kong

After looking through the Ladies Market and a quick walk-through the temple street, I eventually reached the Avenue of Stars with a night view of the sleepless city. The Hong Kong nightline is definitely something that should be seen be the eye; the shining lights and the liveliness can never be captured by the lenses. Whilst enjoying the city in dark, I also tried to look for famous actors like Jackie Chan, Lai Ming, and Leung Chiu Wai but before I could locate the handprints, my stomach had sent me a signal asking for some local taste (which will be covered separately, extensively!).

***Special Thanks to Nawon Sohn & the Hong Kong Expedia™ Lodging Partners Service Group for providing this blog post.***